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SeventyFour\/Getty Images<\/p>\n <\/span> \nGood news: It takes far fewer than 10,000 steps a day to reap the health benefits of walking, according to a handful of recent studies.\n<\/p>\n \nThough the exact number of steps varies\u2014anywhere from 4,000 steps a day to 8,000 steps a few times a week\u2014it\u2019s clear that adding more movement to your day can pretty much guarantee some extra health benefits, including a reduced risk of dementia, cardiovascular disease-related death, and all-cause mortality.\n<\/p>\n \nIf that news has you motivated to lace up your sneakers and hit the treadmill (or pavement), there\u2019s one thing you might want to consider first: proper technique\u2014or the \u201cright\u201d way to walk.\n<\/p>\n \nThough many people have been doing it since there were mere months old, the choices you make around walking\u2014from your gait to what you put on your feet\u2014can play a significant role in your health and well-being. Even where you walk can influence how you feel.\n<\/p>\n \nHere, experts break down strategies for making the most of walking\u2014and avoiding injury along the way.\n<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nWhether you\u2019re sitting, standing, or walking, posture is always important\u2014but it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean standing completely straight at all times; posture means maintaining the natural curves in your neck and back.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nSome tips for maintaining proper posture and alignment while walking include:\n<\/p>\n \nNot only does this proper posture and alignment help you walk easier and prevent injury, it can also help you breathe and move more efficiently, Sarhan said.\n<\/p>\n \nBecause it\u2019s difficult to know what you look like while walking, Tronik recommends taking a picture of yourself in the mirror\u2014or better yet, a video of yourself in movement\u2014and making adjustments, if necessary.\n<\/p>\n 3 Walking Workouts, According to Experts<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nThe proper step involves putting your heel on the ground first, then the ball of your foot, followed by your toes\u2014it\u2019s a rolling motion, Tronik said. This better helps to distribute the stress your lower body takes on while walking.\n<\/p>\n \nIf you were to slam your entire foot down on the ground with a thud, that impact would \u201ctranslate up the chain,\u201d Tronik said, putting your knees, hips, and ankles at a greater risk of injury.\n<\/p>\n \nWalking cadence\u2014or how many steps you take in a minute\u2014matters too. Taking longer, less frequent steps may put more stress on your joints, while taking shorter, more frequent steps might feel easier on your body.\n<\/p>\n \nAdditionally, a higher walking cadence\u2014around 100 steps per minute\u2014can be considered moderate-intensity exercise for adults, research shows.<\/span> That means walking at that cadence or above will count towards the 150 weekly minutes of physical activity, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nAnd while you might be tempted to walk in whatever you\u2019re wearing on your feet at any given moment, your shoe choices are also important. Running or walking shoes are your best bets here, said Sarhan, because they\u2019re typically lighter, have a cushioned heel, and support a person\u2019s gait.\n<\/p>\n \nOne thing you might want to avoid, however, is overly-supportive running shoes, said Sarhan. They can push feet outward and cause you to put most of your weight on the outside of your feet\u2014something known as supination.\n<\/p>\n Even Just 4,000 Steps a Day Can Help You Live Longer, New Research Shows<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nWalking isn\u2019t an inherently risky activity, of course\u2014in fact, it\u2019s \u201cthe easiest way to burn calories without any pressure on the joints,\u201d according to Sarhan. Still, he and Tronik said there are some things to consider besides posture and gait before heading out for an excursion.\n<\/p>\n \nWhen walking outside, it can be easy to trip over things such as curbs, potholes, or uneven ground\u2014especially in the dark. It\u2019s essential to pay attention to your surroundings and, if necessary, to bring someone along to help mitigate risks, Sarhan said. (Taking extra precautions would likely be better than abandoning outdoor walks altogether, which research has found can boost cognitive function more than indoor walks.)<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nIf you do decide to keep your walking inside on a treadmill, take precautions there, too. While it may feel secure to hold on to the treadmill handles, that will hinder your movement and workout. Instead, secure the treadmill\u2019s safety clip to your clothing\u2014if you lose your balance and somehow fall off the treadmill, the clip will trigger the belt to stop, preventing injury.\n<\/p>\n \nTronik also advised taking it slow if you\u2019re used to a more sedentary lifestyle. \u201cBe mindful and actually set goals that are appropriate for your lifestyle,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I haven\u2019t walked in a year, I\u2019m not going to walk for 10,000 steps right off the bat. I\u2019m going to walk a mile and see how that mile feels.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cListening to your body is important for any fitness regimen,\u201d said Tronik, \u201ceven one that is low impact, like walking.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Research suggests that it may take far fewer than 10,000 steps a day to see health benefits from walking. Though walking is a very low-impact, low-risk activity, you still want to make sure you\u2019re using the proper form to avoid any potential injuries. Proper body alignment, gait, and well-fitting sneakers are all important when beginning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[410,1277],"tags":[116,1278],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17366"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Focus on Proper Posture and Alignment <\/span> <\/h2>\n
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Pay Attention to Your Feet <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Stay Alert and Take It Slow <\/span> <\/h2>\n